Enhancing the UNC-TV experience with Sparky MacMillan

Month: April 2017

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I’m sure you know this welcoming duo. It’s Bob and Wendy from the most recent Bob the Builder series. These handyfolk normally hang out in our Community Engagement Suite and no doubt make appearances at public events. So if you’re out and about and see UNC-TV at a county fair or kids event, please stop by and see if Bob and Wendy are there.

“Up there in the immensity of the Cosmos, an inescapable perception awaits us. National boundaries are not evident when we view the Earth from space. Fanatical ethnic, religious or national chauvinisms are a little difficult to maintain when we see our planet as a fragile blue crescent fading to become an inconspicuous point of light against the bastion and citadel of the stars.” – Carl Sagan, Cosmos

Since the beginning, kids shows have been a staple of PBS programming. If you grew up watching them, you know full well how catchy the theme songs to most kids shows are. And these are theme songs that still resonate decades after you watched them as a kid. That’s why I put together MY TOP FIVE in the following category: Kids Show Theme Songs.

5.The Electric Company – “HEY, YOU GUYS!!!!” I’m talking about the 1970s version here (nothing against the newer one). It’s groovy and poppy and so energetic (befitting, of course, its source).

4.Wishbone – He’s the little dog with the big imagination and he’s got a great theme. What’s the story? The story is I’ll find myself singing this cute, catchy ditty without prompting.

3. Bill Nye The Science Guy– If you know that science rules, you’ve probably caught the Science Guy in action back in the 90s. That electropop theme almost seems like a dance remix of another theme, which is pretty cool. And though it hasn’t been necessary yet, I am ever ready to chant “Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!” at the drop of a hat. Continue reading →

Mel Brooks, Sarah Silverman, Carl Reiner and other Jewish comics and thinkers discuss the provocative question of whether any topic – including the Holocaust – should be off-limits in comedy. Tune in as Independent Lens presents The Last Laugh– tonight at 10 on UNC-TV.

I caught sight of this sign on a cabinet near one of the printers on my floor. As you can tell, it’s seen better days. That “UNC Center for Public Television” tag might give you a clue as to how old it is (we’ve gone through a few name changes since then). My guess is this sign was originally posted on one of our station vehicles as our crew worked on a remote shoot. Now, it’s just a tiny reminder that, yep, we work in television station.

Some months back, I posted pictures of a peahen that had taken up residence outside our building here in the Research Triangle Park. Well, apparently I was not the only one enamored of this bird. She was dubbed Penny. UNC-TV staff also set up temporary housing for her and started looking for a place for Penny to live.

Enter Carolina Waterfowl Rescue, a nonprofit located in Indian Trail, North Carolina. The group (which was featured on the NOVA episode “Bionic Pets”) agreed to take Penny and relocation was arranged. The former UNC-TV resident is now living among her own kind at CWR and seems to be settling in well.

Here’s a picture of Penny in her new environs with some roomies.

She was lovely to see here at the station but it’s best she is in a place suited for her species. We at UNC-TV surely wish her well.